How I Became A Carny
by musiclover1624
Summary: How much would you sacrifice to get your family back Would you make a deal with the devil? Would you trust him? I did, and now I'm turning the tables.
1. Man on the Corner

Red, orange, and yellow fall from the trees as the seasons change. Sidewalks movie slowly as the bus inches forward through the neighborhood. Children run along the sides of the streets,  
in a hurry to get home for supper. The glass in front of me is tinted just enough with fingerprints of it past inhabitants. The cool air seeps through the cracks in the metal. The doors open and  
close, as I make my way towards home. I can hear the rhythm of the steps I take, clip, clap, clip, and clap down the pavement. As I cross the street, and turn the corner. On that corner is a  
man, the very same man that has been there for years. Sitting in rags upon a stool, holding a can in his left hand. This man does not speak, just sits there and waits. As if a friend is going to  
join him. I give him a smile and slight nod and keep walking. He just stares, as always. Except for this one time, a while back when people even cared about reading the newspaper. It was a  
Wednesday afternoon, when some college students were returning from the trip to Italy. The man stopped one of the young guys. Some words were exchanged and it ended with a laugh. I  
knew the paper tried to make it seem as if it was nothing, but there was rumors floating about the neighborhood. The truth finally came out on the internet of all places. A video of that day  
was posted on one of the students' websites.

_The students got off the bus and were on their way home, until one of them noticed the man was handing out papers of some sort. It was a flyer to traveling carnival that only comes around every 32  
years. The student snatched the paper crumple it up and threw it at the man. "Yeah right, who would want to go to some old carnival anyway?" he scoffed. Then the man stood up, approached the  
students and raised his index finger pointing directly at them and said "Don't be so eager to judge, for you are the ones being judged." Then turned around and sat back down on his stool; humming  
an eerie tune. _


	2. Aunt Lisa

The camera then shut off. The video had become the talk of the town until more important affairs came up. Ever since then, most common sense people ignore him. Though there are the few teens that like to mess with him, which is intolerable for anyone to have to endure such immaturity. With my mind going through such a whirlwind, I realized I was standing in front of my house. Huh, I think to myself. Sometimes the time just gets away from me. I look up at the old house. The shingles are rusted and the paint is chipping from the walls. Maybe that's what my Aunt Lisa gets for painting the outside of the house. It is a mix of blues and greens. She said the ocean inspired her that day, even though we live no where near any bodies of water. The front door stands out more than anything else; bright, yellow as the sun, door. Lisa says it's inviting and maybe it is. I unlock the door and make my way inside. There waiting for me is my cat Angel. She rubs against my leg wanting to be held. I pick her up and walk into the living room. I move throughout the house silently. No one seems to be home. Aunt Lisa's job has been taking up most of her time. She is a nurse at the hospital downtown. Lately she has been working the graveyard shift, and she normally sleeps during the day, but today seems to be different. I checked the garage and no sign of her red beetle bug car. I would have called her cell phone, if she had one. Aunt Lisa believes in the three R's. Recycle, Reuse, and Reduce. Ever since cell phones became smaller and more advanced, next to the internet the world is going to become a giant satellite attracting unwanted aliens to stop by. At least that's one of Lisa's theories. She may seem crazy to some people, but to me she's amazing. My parents wouldn't approve but….

-Her parents play a bit a big part, have to wait till next chapter to find out why.


	3. Magicians Final Act

My parents, Victor and Rose, I haven't thought about them in years. Laughter escapes my lips. I look up at the ceiling and try to remember them. It was about eleven years ago when I last saw them. I am at the school playground with my third grade class. Everyone is so excited about the assembly today. The bell rang for us to report to the gym. We sat on the bleachers and there was a black curtain set up in front of us. Some cheery music began to play and the curtains opened, there was a man standing there in a black suit and top hat. It was a magician. Everyone clapped their hands in excitement, waiting for the first trick. He pulled out a piece of white cloth and waved it around a bit to show that it was nothing more that cloth. Then he put his hand into a fist and put the cloth over his hand. He pulled his hand out from underneath the cloth and there was a white bird in his hand. It just appeared, out of no where. My class cheered and clapped, but the seventh and eighth graders were not so amazed. For the next trick, the magician needed a volunteer; he chose two of the adults that volunteered that day. Those adults were in fact my parents. The magician had them stand next to each other and then wrapped a giant red blanket around them. He said some words and a huge cloud of smoke filled the room. When the smoke cleared, there was nothing. No red blanket, no magician and no parents. Everything and everyone had vanished. The sound of clapping and cheering went on for a few moments, then it stopped. Teachers start to scramble and get the children off to class. There are people moving left and right, then I began to understand. The act was over. My parents were gone. The rest of the day was a blur. I remember the principal trying to explain it to me, but I was just a kid. It really hit me when after some living with Aunt Lisa, that I realized they weren't coming back. I really wanted to believe that they were though. The police looked for them months after that and with no sign of them anywhere. They say they are still on the lookout, but I know they have given up. Somewhere deep inside of me that spark to keep them alive, was hidden all these years. Tears ran down my face. I dropped Angel without meaning to. I crumpled to the floor, with my breath quickening. I couldn't stop myself, how could I have forgotten them so easily? I just want to hear their voices again. To see them together, here with me. With all this anger building up inside me I screamed "GIVE THEM BACK!" At the top of my lungs. I put my forehead on the cool hardwood floor. I whispered to myself the same chant I said as a child, "They're coming back, They're coming back." They're coming back, but somewhere in the back of my mind I knew they were not.


End file.
